For food allergies, I'd have to say that the Minneapolis/St. Paul area (Minnesota) is a pretty great place to live. There is a whole network of co-opperative grocery stores full of organic and/or natural foods (plus, a lot of the local supermarkets also have sections of more natural foods), plus several of the local restaurants are set up to answer questions about ingredients and preparation of their menu items.

I used to say the air quality was pretty good there, too, but lately there has been a lot of polution and inversion problems. Minneapolis will have an indoor smoking ban starting in March, but the state-wide ban is having some problems.

Canada has a lot of good labeling. Sometimes the same company in the US does not label as well for *may contains* as it does in Canada. Since I react to even trace amounts, this is very important for me.

In major cities, I only feel safe with pre-packaged foods - no restaurants for me.

But, when I was travelling to the east coast, there seems a slightly different attitude. When travelling I'm much more careful, but if I actually lived there - I might be inclined to check closer to see if there are some small (family run) restaurants that I would feel safe eating in.

I just spent ten days in San Francisco and was shocked--I could *eat out at restaurants* easily. And due to the no-smoking ordinance, I could even go to bars. I was happily surprised by the ease of dining out.

I'm vegetarian, so I ate a lot of Indian food, but I also went out to a very nice veg restaurant, an Ethiopian restaurant, and a few other places. Coffee shops were pretty cool--I took my own gluten-free biscotti and requested that the baristas clean the steam wands before making my drinks.

I only had one obvious reaction and it was a blistery rash I get from gluten. It was likely a cross-contamination issue, as I didn't have an allergic reaction (hives, airway swelling, difficulty breathing, etc), which I would have had from actual wheat. No reactions to soy at all, which is amazing! I can't eat out easily in Virginia because soy is so prevalent.

My one complaint is that the Whole Foods locations out there all use latex gloves. I couldn't eat off the salad bar at all, which is one of my mainstays while travelling--I pick up a green salad and some hummus and tortilla chips. I couldn't do that this time around.

I really want to go to Halifax someday, because I'm told it's a decent city for folks with asthma and MCS. I just don't know how easily I'd be able to eat up there.

ygg

_________________~*~*~ That which does not kill me only gives me hives. ~*~*~

Krasota - I'm amazed that you could eat out in SanFran veg. restaurants. I'm soy allergic, too, and this is usually a problem in veg. restaurants. Did they detail ingreds? or how did you manage?

I recently travelled on the Gulf Coast of Florida. What's good about Fla. is the number of motels and condos you can stay at with small kitchen facilities. Means you have to cook, but at least those of us with a few allergies can control the food.

Downside was the grocery store I went in that had soy derivatives in almost everything at the deli. Fortunately, I found a Publix that seemed more aware, and more organic.

Gwen, since the restaurant was more fine dining than "look, tofu nuggets!", it wasn't too hard. The menu items changed daily. The first time, I was able to order off the main menu (wild mushroom rissotto with arugula). The second time, I could only order from the appetizer menu, but I had a lovely salad of wild greens and also some polenta and chipotle fritters.

I did call ahead to talk about my allergies and accomodations. They were quite happy to work with me, but it turned out that very they were pretty much on top of things.

Places that emphasize fresh ingredients and gourmet cuisine are usually easier to eat at than places which just serve a never-changing menu.

ygg

_________________~*~*~ That which does not kill me only gives me hives. ~*~*~

I have had good experiences at several restaurants here. Many times the chef has come to the table to discuss the menu and my allergies. At California Grill, I was told that one chef would be assigned to my meal alone, and that all new clean cutting boards, knives etc. would be used. This really eases my mind.

Apart from Canada and the US, I'd recommend the UK. The food labelling, for the most part, is very precise and comprehensive. The restaurants that I have been to in London are very allergy-aware. I went there last year with my son (who is allergic to nuts and peanuts) and we had positive experiences everywhere we went.

However, this almost caused me a serious reaction. Because I know their labelling is good, when my husband found some Australian candy with no warning for my allergens he bought it. I checked the companies web-site and it seemed they labelled for *may contains*. Yet, I felt nervous with this candy.

I sent an e-mail to the company and was told *yes we label for peanuts, and all our products are in the same facility". I sent another e-mail explaining that I had two packages of candy that did not have a warning. Well, it turns out, a different company does the packaging for Canada - and no warning was put on.

So, be careful when trusting a company from a different country. <sigh>

I'd have to say I've found the Toronto area to be pretty allergy-friendly. Smoke-free bars and restaurants, lots of organic-friendly shops and restaurants. I eat out with my daughter quite a bit because I've found a good selection of allergy-friendly restaurants. I've found most of the elementary schools in my area are nut-free and my daughter's Montessori school is completely nut-free/peanut free as well. I've heard other people complain about long waits for allergist/specialist referrals, and after having a bad experience with one allergist, I was able to get a referral and an appointment with a new allergist right away (they were able to see me the same week I called for an appointment, whereas I've heard some people complain of booking appointments 3 months in advance).

It also seems to me that people around here are just more aware of severe allergies in general, and that might be because it's a big city with a big population and therefore more people are likely to have allergies or know someone with allergies.

I wonder if all the allergy-aware schools make a difference in the level of allergy-awareness in the city in general. I've found that people with children in peanut-free schools really understand about allergies.

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